Overview of the Collection

Creator

Lien, Carsten

Title

Carsten Lien
papers

Dates

circa 1953-2005 (bulk)

19532005

Quantity

28.36 cubic feet (30 boxes)

Collection Number

5527

Summary

Reports, legal
proceedings, manuscripts, correspondence, clippings, maps, and other research
materials used by conservationist Carsten Lien as he wrote two books related to
the Olympic National Park, Washington

Carsten Lien was born in Seattle on March 24, 1926. He graduated from
Ballard High School in 1944 before serving in the United States Navy during
World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Washington
(Bachelor’s Degree in Education) and Columbia University (Master’s Degree in
Education and History) while also working for several summers as a seasonal
ranger naturalist in Olympic National Park.

Lien had a long and varied career. Following his graduation from
Columbia, he taught social studies at Ballard High School before working at the
Bureau of Community Development at the University of Washington. He then took a
position as a deputy administrator of the Latin America Training Program for
the Peace Corps. Lien also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor, as a senior
vice president at Washington Mutual Savings Bank, and as vice president and
corporate secretary of REI.

After his retirement, Lien focused much of his efforts on
conservation. In 1988, he served as the president of the Mountaineers, a
Seattle-based hiking and climbing club that formed in 1906. Three years later,
he published his first book
Olympic Battleground: The Power Politics of Timber
Preservation (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1991), which explored
the fight to save the forests in Olympic National Park from logging. Lien’s
second book,
Exploring the Olympic Mountains: Accounts of the
Earliest Expeditions, 1878-1890 (Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2001),
was published ten years later.

In addition to his involvement with the Mountaineers, Lien served on
the boards of The Nature Conservancy, Olympic Park Associates, Seattle Council
of the Boy Scouts of America, the Seattle Municipal League, and the Allied Arts
of Seattle. He also ran for the Seattle School Board in 1974 and for mayor of
Seattle in 1989, although he was not successful in either campaign.

Reports, legal proceedings, manuscripts, correspondence, clippings,
maps, and other research materials used by Carsten Lien as he wrote two books
related to the Olympic Mountains and Olympic National Park.

Dates and titles shown below reflect the original labeling of folders
in this collection, and usually represent dates of original materials from
which photocopies or reproductions were made. The actual dates of creation of
these research files is estimated to be 1980s-2005.

Scope and Content: Research files, correspondence, government publications,
photographs, slides, and clippings primarily relating to Lien's book,
Exploring the Olympic Mountains: Accounts of
the Earliest Expeditions, 1878-1890, and his planned book on the
Cascade division of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Records stored off site; advance notice required for
use.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.

Scope and Content: Maps primarily of the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympic National
Park. The maps were used during Carsten Lien's research for his book
Olympic Battleground: The Power Politics of
Timber Preservation and
Exploring the Olympic Mountains: Accounts of
the Earliest Expeditions, 1878-1890. Lien drew borders and colored
areas on the map that show how the boundaries of the park changed between 1899
and 1973, as well as proposed changes during that same period. One map shows
recreational and timber preservation areas on the peninsula. Also included are
maps and charts of elevations and life zones on the peninsula and a map of
Washington state.

Some of the maps were part of Emily Haig's collection and are
stamped Mrs. Neil Haig.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Mountaineers Library, 2010-03-02

Custodial History: Carsten Lien donated a collection of maps to the Mountaineers
Library on January 12, 2010. The portion of the maps relating to Lien's books
were accepted by UW Libraries.